By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Zahn, Navy Office of Community Outreach
YOKOSUKA, Japan- A Town and Country, Missouri, native and 2016 Principia Upper School graduate is serving in the U.S. Navy forward-deployed aboard USS Blue Ridge.
Seaman Mitchell Skinner is a logistics specialist aboard the ship operating out of Yokosuka, Japan. The ship routinely deploys to protect alliances, enhance partnerships, and be ready to respond if a natural disaster occurs in the region.
A Navy logistics specialist orders and issues materials for the ship and its crew. They also serve as ship’s postal workers.
Skinner is proud to serve in the Pacific and fondly recalls memories of Town and Country.
“I learned a lot from living in the boys' dorm at my high school,” said Skinner. “I remember my role model, Clark Shutt, who I always looked up and learned from."
Moments like that makes it worth serving around the world ready at all times to defend America’s interests. With more than 50 percent of the world's shipping tonnage and a third of the world's crude oil passing through the region, the United States has historic and enduring interests in this part of the world. The Navy's presence in Yokosuka is part of that long-standing commitment, explained Navy officials.
USS Blue Ridge serves as the flagship for the U.S. Seventh Fleet. It is one of only two U.S. Navy command ships in the world, providing command and control for fleet commanders.
“I’m proud knowing that when things happen, we are the ones who will be called to come help,” said Skinner. “I wanted to be in the Navy so I could have an opportunity to help make a change.”
Skinner is also proud of managing his work center. He enjoys his work because he knows that even the little things that he does is all a part of the overall mission.
As a member of one of the U.S. Navy’s most relied-upon assets, Skinner and other sailors know they are part of a legacy that will last beyond their lifetimes providing the Navy the nation needs.
"Joining the Navy has taught me a lot of patience," said Skinner. "Things change on a daily basis so you have to learn to adapt.”
Seventh Fleet, which is celebrating its 75th year in 2018, spans more than 124 million square kilometers, stretching from the International Date Line to the India/Pakistan border; and from the Kuril Islands in the North to the Antarctic in the South. Seventh Fleet's area of operation encompasses 36 maritime countries and 50 percent of the world’s population with between 50-70 U.S. ships and submarines, 140 aircraft, and approximately 20,000 Sailors in the 7th Fleet.